The State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Vuk Žižić, expressed his astonishment at the remarks made by the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, regarding what he termed the poor state of the tourism sector, alongside what he views as misleading data.

In a media statement, Žižić asserted that he did not anticipate Milatović would align himself with the mal-intentioned factions of the previous government that are conducting a campaign against the nation’s tourism industry and acting against the broader interests of the country.

“To clarify the situation: Montenegro has experienced consistent growth of 4% in guest arrivals since the beginning of this year. This is particularly evident in the increase in both road and maritime border crossings, as well as in air traffic. We have seen a 7% rise in border crossings compared to 2024, and almost 30% more compared to the record year of 2019. Additionally, the number of maritime passengers has surged by nearly 140% from last year, while the airport passenger count is approximately 3% higher than in 2024 and 32% higher than in 2019,” stated Žižić.

He highlighted that Air Montenegro has also posted remarkable results, reporting a 40% increase in passenger numbers this year compared to last year, with an occupancy rate exceeding 90% on its routes.

“National parks recorded a 45% increase in visitors in the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year, and a staggering 244% compared to the same period in 2019. Revenue from tourism taxes and membership fees has increased by 8.64% compared to the same time frame in 2024. Notably, the tourist turnover for the first quarter of 2025 is an astounding 86% higher than in 2019,” Žižić further elaborated.

The State Secretary recognized that Montenegro’s statistics require reform and that there are deficiencies that need addressing.

“This is especially true concerning the classification of war refugees as tourists during significant population migrations from Ukraine and Russia, which has caused considerable confusion in tourism metrics in recent years. Therefore, the Ministry has initiated a digitization process for the tourism sector to gather timely and reliable data,” he explained.

Žižić also remarked that Montenegro is more recognized on the international stage today than ever before.

“We can observe this through the increasing number of visitors from the US, UK, Israel, Azerbaijan, China, and many other nations. This growth is not coincidental, but rather the consequence of dedicated effort and hard work. This is further evidenced by the appointment of Minister of Tourism Simonida Kordić as President of the Commission for Europe of the UN World Tourism Organization, the most significant international body in this sector.

“I am taken aback that the state president is unaware of these realities, and he has a responsibility to carefully consider the messages he conveys. If necessary, the Ministry of Tourism is available to provide President Milatović with all pertinent information to aid in making any informed judgments. Criticism without foundation holds no value,” concluded Žižić.

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